a new device successfully implanted in a patient
The French medical technology company Affluent Medical announced this Tuesday, March 12, the implantation in a man of a new model of artificial urinary sphincter to treat incontinence.
This implantation, which was performed in Prague, Czech Republic, on a 68-year-old man suffering from severe urinary incontinence, “went as planned” and “the patient was discharged five days after the procedure without complications “, said Prof. Roman Zachoval, head of the urology department at Thomayer University Hospital in Prague, in a statement.
“An artificial muscle”
The electronic device, called Artus, “will be activated six weeks after implantation, as soon as the healing of the wound after surgery is complete,” he added.
The polymer ring is placed minimally invasively around the urinary canal, for the treatment of moderate to severe urinary incontinence in men and women. The battery associated with it is designed to last twelve years.
The implant acts like “an artificial muscle” with “a remote control to open and close” the patient’s urethra at the desired time, said Affluent Medical founder Dr. Philippe Pouletty.
Around ten locations before the fall?
The patient can choose between several modes depending on their activity and the doctor can adjust the degree of tightening according to the needs of each patient and the evolution of the pathology.
The company plans to “treat ten men” as part of its pilot clinical trial by the second half of 2024, indicates Sébastien Ladet, CEO of Affluent Medical. It aims to be commercialized “in two and a half to three years”, according to Philippe Pouletty.
